Express & Star

Gary O'Neil backs Wolves man to make a big impact

Gary O'Neil believes Boubacar Traore will benefit from a full pre-season with the coaching team as he backs the midfielder to make a big impact at Wolves.

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Boubacar Traore (Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images).

The 22-year-old has played 17 times this season in all competitions with just five starts, with a stop-start campaign interrupted by international duty.

Traore has also been behind Mario Lemina, Joao Gomes and Tommy Doyle in the pecking order, but O'Neil believes the midfielder will be important in the final 10 games this season and will improve in time for the next campaign.

"I've seen progression in him, definitely from an understanding point of view and a technical point of view," O'Neil said of Traore.

"It's been a difficult one for him because of the form of Mario and Joao and then the fact he was away for a while, it's made him play less than he probably would have done.